Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-10-13
THE REVENUES.


q sary for the support Of the government shall
+ be raised Is one that directly affects ever
citizen Of the country, since the true theor,
, with us is to 80 impose the burden that l
shall be borne by all. but in proportion t,
ability to bear It, and In conformity witt
the usages which have prevailed In time O
peace since the formation of the govern
ment. should be derived substantially from
customs duties. As the Tariff Bulletin
tersely puts 1t. the duties should be laid
with view to the protection of American
labor and industries, end 80 regulated that
the amount collected may be proportional
to the expenses Of government.
The existing internal taxes should be abol
ished, or measures for their gradual extinc
tion should be definitely settled. The col
lection of internal taxes by the general gov.
eminent is in violation of the spirit of the
Constitution whereby the States expressly
surrendered and delegated to the National
Government the exclusive right to levy du-
ties on imports and exports, and to the rev.
enues derived therefrom. and reserved to
themselves, for their own use, all internal
sources Of revenue, except as required by
the Nation for the common defense and gen.
ersl welfare.
In harmony with this spirit internal
taxes have, with rare and unimportant ex-
| ceptions, never been imposed by the gen
| eral government. unless In extraordinary
emergencies. When no longer required
they have uniformly been abandoned.
1t is believed that the present internal
taxes, originally imposed for the purposes
of war, are not now needed for any pur
pose. They are continued chiefly in the
interest of rich monopolies and to the
prejudice of the people, whom they COM
pei either to pay unreasonable prices for
what they require OF to submit to adultera
lions to bring prices within the limit of
their means. They are serious hindrance
to the manufacture, home consumption and
export of numerous valuable articles of
utility or luxury, in the manufacture of
which spirits are indispensable. This also
prevent persons of small capital from
eng aging In various manufactures, In con
sequence Of the large amount of money |
involved In paying the taxes, which are re
quired to be paid In cash before sales OF |
the product can be made.
To these reasons for their abolition may
be added the important objection that they
excite. In many parts Of the country where
they are levied, viruient hostility to the
government, and the habit of disrespect
for all law. In some parts of the country
they have promoted an unwholesome and
dangerous social degeneracy, In which
violence has taken the place of order,
and the young are growing up
In unnatural contempt for the usages and
sentiments of civilized life.
During the first seventy-fve years of our
national existence there were collected
from internal taxation about S22, 200, 900.
Ofthis sum about So, 600. 600 were collected
10 pay the expenses of the revolutionary
war; about 81, 100000 were pro.
vide means for defense against the aggres. !
lions Of France at the close of the last CT n. |
Jury, and about SIS, 900. 000 wefe required t
% defray the expenses of the war with :
Great Britain In 1925. At the close Of
his war the amounts collected annually t
gradually diminished, so that from 1920 to
S47, only about $500, 200 were derived ,,
rom Internal revenue, and from 1S47 to
1868 nothing whatever Since 1868 the in s
ernal tax has produced revenue of So,
l27. 600, 600 In 1886; the smallest $102, 000, :
100 In 1874. In the year ending June 30,
1897 the internal revenue amounted to {
s1l9, 900 600.
The collection of this enormous sum u.
rom internal taxation was required to
maintain our navy and army during the
Civil War, and to pay the debt incurred in
defense of our national life. This debt
md the Interest on it are now so far reduced
hat the revenue from customs will soon
,e, If it 1t is not already, adequate to pro
tide for both debt and interest, as well as
'ther expenses of the general government.
We may therefore safely make provision
or the abolition of what are justly known
IS war taxes, and for exclusive reliance
or revenge upon the ordinary and tradi I
ional resources Of our government In time +
# peace-the custom duties. During our
ntire national existence they have been :
ound adequate, except In time Of war
They have been shown by experience to be /
'est suited to the sentiments and habits Of L
he people. They can be collected with 7
ess difficulty and annoyance than any 9th f
r form Of tax; and they are attended with '
10 corrupting or demoralizlng effects upon
he people.
THE BOOM NOT BUSTED"